Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to angle plates.
More particularly, the invention relates to angle plates which are mounted on channel flanges that are at the end of a sheet metal duct. The angle plates are mounted at the corners of the duct. Each angle plate on the end of one duct is placed in registration with and bolted to an angle plate on the end of an adjacent duct. This bolting operation connects the angle platexe2x80x94channel flange structure at the end of one duct to the angle-platexe2x80x94channel flange structure at the adjacent end of another duct to secure the two duct ends together. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,100 to Goodhue.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 C.F.R. 1.97 and 1.98.
As is explained in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,100 to Goodhue, during installation of angle plates in channel flanges, it is desirable to stack a plurality of angle plates in registration with each other and to laterally slide and displace one angle plate at a time out from the stack, much like the top and bottom card in a deck of cards can be laterally slid and displaced from the deck when the other cards are held. When each of the conventional angle plates 10, 11, 12 in a stack tend to nest in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1, this interferes with the lateral displacement and sliding of an angle plate from a stack of angle plates. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, conventional angle plates include upstanding feet or flanges 13, 14, 15 which each depend and extend outwardly from a peripheral side area of legs and corners that comprise in part each angle plate. These flanges 13, 14, 15 permit the partial nesting of angle flanges one in the other. One way to prevent the nesting permitted by upstanding flanges 13, 14, 15 is disclosed in the Goodhue patent and comprises utilizing projections 46, 47 (FIGS. 3, 20, 21 of Goodhue) which depend upwardly from the legs and corner of each angle plate.
One disadvantage of the structure set forth in the Goodhue patent is that it requires, in the inner areas of an angle plate, the formation of auxiliary metal projections 46, 47 (FIGS. 3, 20, 21 of Goodhue) extending upwardly from the legs and corner and intermediate the flanges 40 which extend along the outer edges of the legs and corner of the angle plate. Flanges 40 in the Goodhue patent are comparable to the feet or flanges 13, 14, 15 in FIG. 1.
It would be advantageous if the manufacture of an angle plate did not require the formation of new metal projections in the inner areas of the angle plate in order to remedy the nesting problem caused by the shape of flanges which extend along the sides of the angle plate.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved angle plate.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved angle plate which facilitates the sliding lateral displacement and removal of the angle plate from a plurality of like angle plates stacked in registration one on top of the other.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved angle plate which prevents nesting in the improved angle plate of a like angle plate by utilizing the flanges which extend outwardly from the peripheral side area of the legs and corner of the improve plate.